OT cold weather machine testing

[nickel-city-fab]

It is -1F or -18 C here, with a slight wind. Here's when we find out all the weaknesses in the system. I recommend a fresh deep cycle battery (I am having good luck with the Optima yellow top), a good quality full synthetic oil, and block heaters. Am supplementing the home heat with a few gallons of kerosene (parafin).

Any marginal repairs done previously will soon make themselves known.

I often think the animals are smarter than us, because they gather lots of insulation and go to sleep for a few months. Welcome to winter just north of Buffalo.

[JRouche]

It is -1F or -18 C here, with a slight wind. Here's when we find out all the weaknesses in the system. I recommend a fresh deep cycle battery (I am having good luck with the Optima yellow top), a good quality full synthetic oil, and block heaters. Am supplementing the home heat with a few gallons of kerosene (parafin).

Any marginal repairs done previously will soon make themselves known.

I often think the animals are smarter than us, because they gather lots of insulation and go to sleep for a few months. Welcome to winter just north of Buffalo.

Yeah, sounds stupid
. But it sounds like fun for me..

Oh, I forgot. You guys are complete azz holes? Why? I dont know... JR JR

[MattiJ]

-18 C is not causing much trouble but -40F/-40C and roadsides are full of malfunctioning cars.

[nickel-city-fab]

-18 C is not causing much trouble but -40F/-40C and roadsides are full of malfunctioning cars.

So far there hasn't been much trouble that I have seen. Very few malfunctions so far. The city is not very good at removing the snow, they do no allow enough money for it. When I was a child, they would have it all cleared before you went out in the morning.

The border is open again, Yay! So I am seeing Canadian travellers on the weekends. In spite of the Covid.

At work is another story -- it always surprises me that the trucks and cranes start up in the morning. It takes a LOT of power to start a 13-liter diesel engine even in good conditions.

[JoeLee]

No problems with vehicles starting but I would like to make some improvements to the shop, but my choices are very limited.

JL.........

[Doozer]

Us guys from WNY are complete azz holes !
What gave it away ? ? ?
The fact that we refuse to put up with BS ?

-D

[nickel-city-fab]

Us guys from WNY are complete azz holes !
What gave it away ? ? ?
The fact that we refuse to put up with BS ?

-D

It's gotta be the wing sauce.
Mine has wing sauce around it.
I'll show it to him.

[Tundra Twin Track]

-18 C is not causing much trouble but -40F/-40C and roadsides are full of malfunctioning cars.

X2 on -40 and colder,weak points show up pretty quickly.Years back operating winch truck in oilfield temp dropped to 63 below Fahrenheit and Foam from Diesel was freezing while refuelling.

[tom_d]

It is -1F or -18 C here, with a slight wind. Here's when we find out all the weaknesses in the system. I recommend a fresh deep cycle battery (I am having good luck with the Optima yellow top), a good quality full synthetic oil, and block heaters. Am supplementing the home heat with a few gallons of kerosene (parafin).

Any marginal repairs done previously will soon make themselves known.

I often think the animals are smarter than us, because they gather lots of insulation and go to sleep for a few months. Welcome to winter just north of Buffalo.

All sound advise. My one exception would be the deep cycle battery, if it's in an automobile engine starting application. As I had it explained to me many years ago the difference between the deep cycle and conventional is the way they give up their energy. The example given was comparing a pair of fruit trees. If they are both the same size, and contain the same amount of fruit, the difference is in the harvesting. A deep cycle would be as if you pick the fruit one at a time until the tree is empty and the bin is full. Takes some time but all the fruit is harvested. On conventional batteries it would be as if you grasp the tree by the trunk and give it a big, violent shake. Same quantity as the deep cycle "tree", and all the fruit drops, but almost all at once. Sort of like starting a car on a cold day when that starter grabs all the battery can offer to get the engine spinning. Large out-rush of current. Deep cycle batteries are not meant to see a large discharge in a short amount of time. It will work for a while, but not the best practice for longevity.

[old mart]

So far, in my part of the west UK, the temperature has only dropped to -3C and that is bloody cold for me. I did some turning of steel and leaded bronze (sae660 gunmetal) today at the museum. I also put a 40tpi thread on 1.230" dia bronze, very easy to do only about 0.015" thread depth. Trouble was even at +4C, standing still at a machine was close to my limit.
Did you know, the highest allowed dew point for aviators breathing oxygen is minus 40. It must be unpleasant to breath it continuously as it dries your mouth after a few minutes.

[Tom S]

Lol. Very timely. I've been in Frontenac for the last couple days ice fishing, -20C in the day, -40C at night. Was worried that the truck wouldn't start this morning to get us home, but thankfully it did and carried us back to the land of gas furnaces and running water.

[Tundra Twin Track]

So far, in my part of the west UK, the temperature has only dropped to -3C and that is bloody cold for me. I did some turning of steel and leaded bronze (sae660 gunmetal) today at the museum. I also put a 40tpi thread on 1.230" dia bronze, very easy to do only about 0.015" thread depth. Trouble was even at +4C, standing still at a machine was close to my limit.
Did you know, the highest allowed dew point for aviators breathing oxygen is minus 40. It must be unpleasant to breath it continuously as it dries your mouth after a few minutes.

Could you elaborate on the -40 breathing,I don’t grasp it.I’ve been out numerous times colder than -40 but not breathing oxygen.

[MattiJ]

Could you elaborate on the -40 breathing,I don’t grasp it.I’ve been out numerous times colder than -40 but not breathing oxygen.

"Unpleasant" is maybe a bit too strong adjective here but really low air humidity certainly dries your mouth/nose/eyes more than humid air. Same with skin.

Its amazing how you can feel the air humidity even on your face: moving from +23Cel 5%RH indoors to humidity controlled areas in some factories with +23Cel 50%RH feels like entering steam sauna that is not heated properly.

[J Tiers]

To coin a phrase, "humidity is relative". It is the water content vs the amount of water that the air can carry. That ratio is the percent humidity.

Warm air can carry a lot of water. Cold air carries less. The total water content of the air (kg/m^3) at cold temperatures can be low, and yet the actual relative humidity can be fairly high, because the air cannot carry much more.

Where you really get low humidity is inside, when the low water content (but "relatively humid") air from outside is brought in and heated. Then the water content (kg/m^3) stays the same, but the carrying capacity of the air goes way up as it is heated, so the relative humidity drops like a stone.

[nickel-city-fab]

I do know that its really unpleasant when it gets truly cold out, the air dries you out instantly. I've probably added 50% more water to my daily intake in the last month -- you lose it all just by breathing. I'm accustomed to lots of humidity by virtue of being on the eastern shore of the Great Lakes (Erie and Ontario). Those lakes are the reason why we get all the snow.